Perdido
by Eluminadia
Summary: When Jack is lost a strange and beautiful women saves his life, but will e have to leave her behind Jack/Other
1. Chapter 1

Authors notes:

First of all I'd like to thank all of you have been patiently waiting for this story to be finished and I apologize again for the delay. A series of small disasters, work and family commitments and over 6 months without internet (shock horror) have made it nearly impossible for me to get any writing done, and after such a long time away from this story I really wanted to go back and rewrite it.

However, luckily for you guys (not so lucky for me) my appendix and I had a disagreement and it had to be removed. Surgery, a following infection and a nasty case of flu (I strongly advise against trying to cough, sneeze, or blow your nose with seven stitches in your belly), kept me of my feet for nearly 5 weeks, with only my trusty laptop as company. So I managed to re-write this story, finish another that was still waiting in the side lines, and make a start on my muse's new plaything. So please enjoy.

P.S I know Jack/other stories aren't every bodies thing, but even if it's not your style, please have a read and any feedback on my writing style and prose are very welcome.

**__________________________________**

Colonel Jack O'Neill pulled his cap down tighter over his head and shielded his eyes from the glint of sun on the freshly fallen snow as the gate whooshed closed behind. He grimaced slightly; he would never admit that he still had a thing about snow after the whole Antarctic incident, but give him a sunny, tropical planet any day. However the fresh green buds that were fighting their way bravely through the heavy crust, and the warm rays of sunshine that slanted through the trees, strongly suggested that this planet was throwing off the grips of winter and spring was making its debut.

His team had already fanned out across the clearing, leaving trails of footprints in the virgin snow. Daniel had his digital camera in his hands and was snapping away at some rock or other at the edge of the clearing. Jack looked up at the mountain range that could be seen peeking over the tips of the trees and the column of smoke that rose into the crystal blue sky. He sighed, smoke meant people and people generally meant trouble. Sure they had met a nice native village or two, but even the nice ones were normally more trouble than they were worth.

"Okay kids, let's get a move on. Teal'c take point"

Daniel lifted his head from the rocks his was examining and threw Jack a petulant glance.

"But Jack….."

Jack pointed the horizon "People"

Daniel followed his gaze and eagerly packed his camera into his pack and fell into step behind Teal'c. Carter smirked and followed Daniel into the trees.

Jack took up the rear, it had become custom over the years for him and Teal'c to form a protective scientist sandwich. Not that Jack had any doubt over Carter's ability to protect herself, but Daniel was another matter. The younger man had a habit of getting into trouble, or dying. Jack shuddered and cast a quick glance into the darkness of the forest. At least something close to a path led away from the gate and towards the village to the north, he was not in the mood to be fighting his way through snow covered branches.

They soon left the trees behind and the column of smoke was getting clearer. The forest gave way to the slopes of the ice tipped mountain that had been visible from Stargate. A few hundred meters after the trees thinned so did the path. The steep slopes of the mountain rose up to the right and a deep crevice had opened up to the left. As the path thinned more and swerved slightly to hug the edge of the cliff Jack glanced with interest over the abyss. Some distance below water surged blackly to the south, the flow was quick and whipped into white foam as it devoured half submerged rocks and debris. He leaned further over edge, it looked deep.

"I wouldn't do that Sir" Carter called.

He glanced at her; she was crouched somewhat further away from the edge than he, a soil sample in her hands.

"I've never seen rock like this, but it's extremely brittle. That ledge could give way at any time"

She snorted with barely hidden laughter as Jack jumped away from the edge. Stowing the sample in her pack to hide her grin, she moved after Daniel and Teal'c leaving Jack to contemplate the water from a safer distance.

"Very funny" he muttered under his breath and rejoined the path, casting one last glance over his shoulder at the darkness of the trees. Why did he get the feeling that they were being watched?

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They reached the large flat clearing where the village was situated a little after mid day and the villagers met them with curiosity and friendliness. Preparations for the mid day meal were being made and the whole village was alive with activity. The whole settlement was primitive, and Jack relaxed slightly as they were led into one of the smoky round houses, primitive natives were much less likely to cause problems.

They were presented to the village elder, who was a well set man in his early fifties named Dajain, who invited them to join him to eat. A low table in the centre of the round house was already laid with various kinds of meat and vegetables, still steaming hot, and jugs of spicy mulled wine. He and his team accepted and joined the kind faced man and his wife, Lareya, on the cushions that were placed on the floor around the table, although they all ate and drank little. They had learned from bitter experience that foreign food was not to be lightly trusted. Soon they were joined by Dajain and Lareya's three strapping young sons. Each bigger and more muscled than the next, the eldest reminded Jack of an olive skinned Teal'c.

The conversation was easy and Dajain was obviously curios about them and asked a good number of questions, until Lareya laid a hand on his arm, quieting him somewhat.

"Dajain" Jack asked suddenly "Are there more people living nearby. I had the feeling that were being watched in the forest"

Teal'c raised his eyebrows slightly "I too felt the sensation of being watched"

Dajain shook his head sadly. "There are many other villages further north" he answered "But our closest neighbors are the people who live to the south of the stone ring. We were one people many eons ago, but they are makers of war. A cruel people who gain not by farming and hunting, but by stealing and killing. The legends tell of a disagreement which separated our people from them, we have been at war for as long as my people can remember. We have lost many cattle, horses and daughters to them, but the great mountain protects us as much as is possible. We have learned to be at one with the elements, with the ice and snow. They live further to the south where it is warmer and the weather is not so harsh, they too loose many men if they venture into the mountains."

Jack glanced at Daniel who was busy making notes, drinking in all the details.

"Will we have any problems on our way back through the forest?" Jack asked.

Dajain shook his head "It would be unusual for the southerners to have come this far north. They come often when the weather is more bearable, but not in the ice and snow. I cannot explain why you had these feelings"

Dajain's youngest son, Dajin, looked up suddenly from his meal, his eyes sharp.

"It was the witch. She's been seen this far north"

"Dajin!" Lareya snapped.

Dajain smiled patiently at his son before returning his eyes to Jack.

"The hunters tell stories of a witch that lives farther to the south, a green eyed she-devil who rides a ghost stallion through the thickest, darkest, places in the forest. Some of my men claim to have seen her this far north, but I must admit that I have not." He shrugged slightly and smiled "Perhaps she was watching you in the forest, but more likely it was just the leones"


	2. Chapter 2

The following morning they bade farewell to the villagers. Dajain had offered them the hospitality of his home for the night. Something which they had gratefully accepted, the warmth of an open fire to tempting to resist. Daniel and Carter had spent the previous afternoon investigating the ruins which lay to the east of the village, while Jack and Teal'c watched the perimeter. Jack had sat for a long time contemplating the darkness of the forest spread out below them, unsure why, but something in its depths was calling to him, unsettling him.

Daniel had gotten all excited over the ruins, snapping away with his camera like a mad man, something which had startled the natives. He said he was pretty sure they were Ancient, but some of the inscriptions were so worn that he couldn't be sure. With the aid of millions of dollars worth of modern technology he could probably make it out once they got back to the SGC.

Dajain had promised them that they would be most welcome if they should need to return, and with a slight twinkle in his eye had warned them to be careful of witches in the forest.

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Their trudge down the steep slope was no more comfortable than going up, Jack's knees complained at the angle and the snow had turned into a slippery slush. But he had fixed his mind firmly on a hot shower and hot food, so much so that he hardly noticed when they approached the deep chasm on the borders of the forest. The water level had risen, swelled by the melting snow and the current was raging its way quicker southward.

They had almost reached the first of the trees when they came across a small landslide, a mess of rubble and snow, which pushed them dangerously close to the edge of the ravine. He called a halt and glanced at Carter.

"What do ya think Captain?"

She shrugged slightly her gaze shifting to the solid bulk of the mountain that rose up steeply to their left.

"It could give way if we try, but its one _hell_ of a detour if we don't"

Jack pulled his cap down tighter on his head and considered for a moment. They were still high enough for him to be able to see the slight break in the trees where the Stargate stood, almost lost in the mass of pines. It couldn't be more than 2km away. He followed Carter's gaze to the mountain of rock that overshadowed the ravine. It would be a good 20km if they went back and around, possibly more.

"Okay. But one at a time and quickly"

He watched with baited breath, as Teal'c, Daniel and Carter scooted around the fallen debris, releasing the breath he hadn't realized he was holding when all three had passed without even one stone falling out of place.

"Guess it's my turn" he muttered.

His eyes were draw to the dark swell beneath him as he stepped out onto the ledge, his concentration so much taken by the water that at first he didn't hear the ominous crack.

"Sir! Go back"

He froze for a second, his body hesitating, he was only a few steps from safety. Before his body could respond he felt his feet drop subtly, followed by another deafening crack as the ground behind him fell away into oblivion. There was no going back now. He stepped forwards, sending heavenward a silent prayer. His moving feet only served to push more of his foothold into the waiting water. He felt himself falling, all of his weight crashing down, his chest connecting with the ground that remained solid, his feet scrabbling for purchase while his hands sought to grab something, anything, to stop the fall he knew in the back of his mind was inevitable.

Teal'c reacted, grabbing for one of his slipping hands, but too late. Jack was falling, and his body was engulfed by the freezing cold water. He gasped, his mouth filling with water and he struggled to keep his head above the fast moving swell as he watched SG1 become dots on the horizon. The first time the racing current bashed his body against one of the half submerged rocks it hurt like hell, but the freezing water soon numbed him, and even quicker sapped him of the strength needed to keep swimming. He gave way to the blackness that was threatening and let it take hold, in the blackness there was no cold and no pain, he knew that from experience.


	3. Chapter 3

She moved silently throw the thicket at the edge of the great lake, a crude, handcrafted spear already cocked to her shoulder. She watched intently as the ciervos moved cautiously to the water's edge, the little ones prancing around their mother's legs, ever playful. Her eyes locked onto the giant stag that stood watching while his family drank from the icy cool lake. She had little interest in his grand antlers, in fact she would probably have to leave the head, the weight of it too much, but she hated to kill the soft eyed doe while her young looked on. She hated to even be hunting here, normally she just came silently to watch the different animals drinking in this secluded glade, they kept her company when she was lonely. But she was hungry, the long winter had been hard on both her and the local herds and her stocks were running low. Two days ago she had ventured farther north than she had intended in search of fresh meat, but they only living thing she had seen had been the strangers. She had known instantly that they were not of this world, their clothes and their words were strange. She had watched them for a while as they had passed through the forest, but her hunger had driven her back here. She drew back her arm, ready to hurl her sharpened spear into the unprotected chest of the stag, but the animal's head lifted sharply and with a cry of alarm, the family of ciervos bolted away. She would have cursed had she know such words, but instead she looked sadly after the animals, before stiffly rising from her crouched position.

She whistled a low whistle and a snow white stallion appeared from the thick trees, nickering nervously as he approached. She ran her hand over his muscular neck calming him slightly, before raising her face to the wind and sniffing lightly at the air. Something had spooked the ciervos and something was making Relam nervous. Her nose caught the slight metallic tang of blood on the wind; there must be a dead animal nearby. At the end of the cold season carnivores were quick to home in on the smell of blood. She was about to mount, hoping to get far enough away before the leones came looking for fresh meat, when she heard a distinctly human cry and a splash from further up the bank.

She looked in the direction of the noise, unsure whether to investigate or to forget she had heard anything and get out of the area before the leones came. She shock her head and moved down the bank, following the curve of the water, there was another splash, startling the birds which were sleeping in the trees, and then silence.

The bundle of green that lay only halfway out of the water didn't take on human shape until she was only a few feet away. She moved closer cautiously, the smell of blood now strong, but the man was obviously unconscious. She recognized him as one of the strangers she had seen in the forests to the north two days previously. He was the first person she had seen this close in many years and he was the handsomest man she had ever seen. His injuries were serious and he would surely die if she left him here.

She called Relam and used all of her strength to lift the stranger onto the animals back tying him in place so that he wouldn't fall, soothing the horse when his ears lay flat against his head. He didn't like the smell of blood any more than she did, but like her he was used to it.

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Jack groaned as his mind began to clear, he wasn't dead, of that he was pretty sure, being dead couldn't hurt this much. His whole body hurt, hell even his hair hurt. He inched his eyes open, taking in the roof of the cave. Cave? The air around him was bitterly cold and he was trembling slightly, his breath fogging as it left his mouth, but for the most part he was warm. His fingers gripped at the warm furs that engulfed his body. Furs? His training kicked in and he did a metal check on his body, his left leg and arm hurt like hell, so did breathing, he also had one hell of a headache.

He reached for his radio with his right arm, only to find that he was almost completely naked under the mountain of animal hide that was covering him. At least he still had his boxers, thank god for small graces.

Sound from the entrance of the cave drew his attention and he tried to lift his head, a cry of pain escaping his lips before he could stop it.

"No te muevas"

A young woman appeared at his side, her hands sure and calm as she helped him to sit up slightly, propping his back up with another bundle of furs. She moved towards the dying fire and fed it with the wood that was piled up against the wall of the cave, and he was instantly grateful for the heat that poured from the growing flames. When she returned she sat crossed legged next to him and handed him a crude hand carved cup filled with steaming liquid. He looked at her, sniffing the tea suspiciously. She was dressed primitively, even more so than the villagers he had met before falling. Her leggings were little more than supple leather wrapped and tied around her legs, her tunic was crudely stitched to give it some form. He sniffed the tea again, looking into her face.

"No te hare daño" she said "Bebe. Lo vas a necesitar"

He didn't understand her words, but he felt like he should, but she had gestured to the cup which he still held in his hands indicating that she wanted him to drink. He looked down at the cup.

"Oh hell. What harm can it do?"

He threw it back in one gulp, feeling the hot liquid warming his throat and stomach. She watched him intently for a few moments before moving closer and gently pulling back the furs that were covering him. He thought to protest, but the tea was already making him slightly drowsy, his headache had subsided and the pain in his leg, arm and ribs had dulled slightly. She examined his ribs carefully, and although she was obviously trying not to hurt him, she found four that ripped cries of pain from his throat. She wrapped his chest tightly with some type of bandage and then briefly examined his arm and leg, before standing gracefully and moving to the wood pile, taking time to pick out four long straight poles. He watched through heavy eyes and she sat down again at his eyes.

"Febula" she explained, showing him the wood and indicating to his arm.

It took his brain a moment to work out what she was doing, but when she gripped his hand and began to apply pressure the spike of pain cleared his head. He screamed as he felt the broken bone slip into place and watched as she quickly placed the wood on either side of his set arm and quickly bound the splint into place. He was sweating and grabbed her hand as she moved towards his leg. She looked up at his her eyes filled with remorse.

"Lo siento" She whispered "Pero tengo que hacerlo"

He frowned, his fingers still tightly gripping her wrist. Her words were familiar somehow. He had heard something similar before. He looked at her closely; her long black hair was swept over one shoulder, framing one side of her olive skinned face. Her lips were full and she was breathing hard from the effort of setting his arm, but it was her eyes that really changed her face from merely pretty, to extraordinarily beautiful. Large emerald green eyes, that gleamed with compassion.

She wrenched her hand away from him "Lo siento"

Apart from her eyes her face looked distinctly like the faces of the women he had seen during a mission in Colombia. He had thought at the time that the raven haired women he saw there were the most beautiful he had ever seen, and had desperately learned as much Spanish as possible in hopes of conquering a Latin beauty. But this strange woman, whose eyes burned with an intensity that he had never seen before, was more beautiful than any of the women he had seen in South America. She reached for his leg again gripping his ankle tightly.

"¡Espera!" he cried. That was it; whatever she was speaking it was close to the pigeon Spanish he had learned in Columbia.

She hesitated.

"Espera. Espera. Por favor. Wait. Please"

She cocked her head slightly, but released his ankle, rocking back slightly on her heels and studying him.

"Why wait?" she asked.

"Because it hurts" he growled.

She seemed to accept this and took the empty cup he had dropped on the floor beside him and moved back to the fire. She fed more wood into the blaze and stood looking at him for a moment. He also studied her. Her clothing was crude, but the affect was none the less incredible. The leather of her leggings molded to her legs showing the taunt muscles tensing slightly underneath, her tunic was loose but he could easily make out the curve of her waist which led his eyes upwards to her breasts.

She blushed slightly and he wasn't sure why, but she handed him another cup of hot tea and crouched next to him pointing to herself.

"Lalia" she said tapping her chest.

"Jack" he answered pointing to himself.

"Jack" she repeated, the 'J' rolling off her tongue in an exotic way.

He drained the cup and motioned for her to continue working on his leg. He gritted his teeth as she took a firm hold on his ankle, bracing herself as she applied pressure.

By the time she had finished they were both sweating and he had let forth a string of curses that would have made a marine blush. Both of the bones in his lower leg had been broken and it had taken time for her to a-line the two properly.

"Lo siento" she whispered, sitting back, her voice almost a sob.

"No problema"

His eyes were heavy, the mixture of pain and the tea she had made catching up on him. His last thought as he slid back into the blackness was that he hoped she had done a good job with the splints, or Frasier was going to have to reset the bones when he got home. He imagined that re-breaking a bone was probably more painful that breaking it.


	4. Chapter 4

He swam slowly back to consciousness, unwilling to leave the pain free blackness that surrounded him. The sun was lower than when he had drifted off, and Lalia was nowhere to be seen. She had however left a cup of tea within easy reach, it was cold, and so she had been gone some time. The cave was warmer now, the fire still blazing happily away to his right. He looked around curiously as he drank the tea and waited for it to take effect. The cave was small and it was obvious that she was alone here, but there were a great many personal things neatly organized around the walls. She must have been here for some time.

He jumped slightly when the heavy leather drapes that covered the cave entrance moved back and she stepped inside. She smiled sweetly at him as she tied the drapes to the posts which supported them, letting the afternoon light fill the cave. His breath caught in his throat, she looked incredible, the last of the afternoon rays reflected in her midnight black hair, which was slightly windswept. She had changed her long sleeved tunic for a short sleeved one and there was a slight gleam of sweat on her arms and face, and her eyes were alive in a way he had never seen before.

As his eyes moved over her he notice that he hands were covered with blood, he frowned.

"What happened?"

She smiled and moved back out onto the large rock terrace at the entrance of the cave and his eyes were drawn the snow white stallion that waited patiently on the ledge, some type of travois strapped to its back. On the leather stretched between the two poles that crossed just over the animal's withers and reached down to the ground behind him, was the impossible large carcass of some sort of deer. He watched stunned as she wrestled it onto the ground outside the cave and began to butcher it. She had obviously removed the head to make it possible to bring it back, but it was a dead weight of nearly a hundred kilos, maybe more.

She looked up at him.

"I hunt" she said finally answering him "spring coming. Fresh meat" she indicated to the animal and continued to cut the body up into manageable chunks.

He grimaced. He had done and seen some terrible things but he doubted he could have skinned and butchered a dead animal with the ease that she did. As though hearing his thoughts she looked up at him again.

"Me alone. Need eat"

He considered this as she watched her set the meat on racks and light a smoky fire nearby, smoking the meat for storage. How long had she been alone that she was so comfortable with this way of life?

She smiled at him when she had finished, washing her hands in what looked like a hardened animal stomach filled with water. She patted and fondled the large stallion for a moment after removing the harness it still wore, before the animal moved away.

She entered the cave and taking in the failing light, closed the drapes behind her preserving the heat from the fire. She moved around quickly lighting a few crude oil lamps as she went, he watched with interest as she prepared as large chunk of meat, spitting it and rubbing it with herbs and salt, before placing it over the fire.

As darkness fell, the irresistible smell of roasting meat filled the cave. She served him first; bringing him meat and tender vegetables on a bone platter, settling back on her heels to watch him eat, before eating herself.

With a full stomach and whatever tea she was giving him to relieve the pain he lay back, relaxing, and watched as she banked the fire for the night. She threw what looked to be the hide of a lion onto the floor next to the floor and curled up on it. He looked down at the soft pile of furs that surrounded him and it was obvious that she normally would have slept here. He had enough time to feel guilty before his eyes drifted closed and sleep over took him, the last thing he had seen was her smiling face, and he felt his guilt wash away, she didn't mind.


	5. Chapter 5

He watched intently the following morning as she checked his splinted arm and leg, loosening the bandages where need to accommodate swelling. He thought again that he hoped she knew what she was doing. She looked up at him abruptly.

"Will heal well. Do not worry"

It took a moment for her words to sink through his brain. The fact that he had understood her perfectly froze his mind for a few moments. He wished he could say that his Spanish was better than he had thought, but that wasn't it.

"Where did you learn to speak my language?"

She moved away from him slowly, her eyes suddenly frightened. Her suspicion was almost palpable in the closed environment of the cave. She moved to the fire, mixing the embers bring the flames back to life.

"You teach me" she said without looking up.

"I…..what?"

"I see your mind. I see your thoughts. I learn"

He studied her quietly, trying to get his head around what she had said, trying to work out if she was telling the truth. Telepathy? It seemed unlikely, but then she hadn't been able to speak any English the previous day. Or had she? Dajain and the people that lived to the north had spoken English well enough. Why not her?

"You think maybe I lie. Maybe I speak your language like people of north"

That was hardly proof, he thought, it must be obvious what he was thinking.

"Now you think, is obvious what you think"

He frowned. "Okay. What am I thinking now?"

He conjured up a picture of his cabin in the mountains. He pictured himself fishing off the dock, a cooler with beer sitting next to him.

Suddenly she was laughing.

"Why do you hunt fish, when there are none?"

He scowled at her and all her humor evaporated, her eyes again flashing with fear. She inched further away from him, her gaze returning to the fire.

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She stared into the fire, watching the flames lick at the dry timber she fed into the blaze. She had been careless, she had not meant for him to find out. She had meant to help him and send him away. But her eagerness to learn the language spoken by the people of the north had betrayed her. They were good people, those who occupied the mountain slopes. She had hoped that if she learnt their language…… she was tired of being alone.

Now she waited. Waited for the feelings of hate and fear that she knew she would feel rolling off of him in waves. The same feelings that had clouded her own mother's eyes all those years ago. But none came; she sensed his curiosity, but no hate, no fear. She glanced up at him, turning to look at him.

"You are not frightened?"

He chuckled, a musical sound that seemed out of place in her small cave.

"No. Should I be? I admit it worries me a bit that you can hear my thoughts, but it doesn't scare me"

She moved closer to him searching his face for signs that he was lying, searched his mind, digging deep, for signs of treachery.

She flinched when he grabbed her wrist breaking her contact with his mind.

"Don't look too deep" he growled "You won't like what you see"

She wrenched her hand from his grip, her eyes wide.

"You feel me search your mind?"

"Yeah and like I said, don't"

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He watched her silently for a moment. Watching her, watching him. She had come close to slipping past his defenses and seeing the things he fought so hard to forget. She looked scared, her eyes wide.

"You feel me search your mind?" she asked again.

"Yeah" he answered, rubbing his left hand over his eyes. "Shouldn't I?"

He knew just be looking at her that maybe he shouldn't. Her face was white, and she gaped at him, searching for words.

"No" she answered quietly.

He looked up at her then and his mind filled with images, memories, her memories.

_She huddled in her bed, hoping they wouldn't come, knowing that they would. She had hidden her gift since she was a little girl, knowing that different wasn't good, that being different would be punished. But she had made a mistake. She sobbed silently. They were coming._

_Her training was nearly done; soon she would take her oath. She knew that one of the villages further south needed a healer and she knew that the elder's brutish son was looking for a wife, and on the day before taking her oath she knew that her father planned to marry her to him. She searched him out that evening, begging him not to send her away, not to make her marry him. Even as the words left her mouth she realized that it had been little more than an idea to her father, that he still had not decided that he still hadn't made the arrangements. She felt relief wash over her, surely Papa would listen to her, decide not to send her away. But his eyes narrowed as he looked at her, and she knew she had made a mistake. She could feel his thoughts now, each one louder than before._

_What had his youngest daughter said?_

_**How had she known what he was contemplating?**_

_**How had she known what he was **_**thinking**_**?**_

_**What was she?**_

_**Witch!**_

_She had run then. Throwing herself onto her bed, hoping they wouldn't come, knowing that they would. She remembered when she was little how one of village women had been accused of being a witch, they had burned her. Now she could hear the word spreading through the village._

_Witch! Witch! Witch!_

_And she knew that there was nothing the village liked more than a burning. This thought galvanized her into action, they were coming. She grabbed what little personal items she could and shoved them into an old leather bag, and swinging it over her shoulder she lowered herself quietly out of the window. She made her way through the shadows to the stables, moving quickly past her own pony; she wouldn't be fast enough, to her father's snow white stallion. The young animal nickered when he saw her, butting his head against her chest._

'_Quiet' she thought 'Please be quiet'_

_He quieted, standing patiently as she threw a thick leather blanket over his back. Taking hold of the crude halter she led him silently from the building and slid through the shadows towards the forest. Then she saw her, a tall white haired women standing in the path._

"_Mama" she called quietly "Mama I have to go. Papa…….."_

_But her beloved mother's eyes hardened and she felt a wave of hate hit her so hard it knocked her breath from her lungs._

"_Witch!" her Mama screamed, pointing at her "Here she is. Witch! WITCH!"_

_Terror filled her then and with a long practiced leap she was sitting across Relam's broad white back urging him quickly into a gallop. Her Mama held fast in the middle of the path, blocking her escape. She felt when the stallion's broad chest collided with her, knocking her down and passing through as though she wasn't there. Her mother's scream of rage filled the night, and when she glanced over her shoulder she could see the angry crowd that had gathered. Relam's feet were sure and quick and soon the crowd was dropping behind and the forest enclosed them._

_She rode all night, allowing the stallion to pick his own way through the branches and fallen logs. The moon was full, but even the mid day sun would have failed to break its way through the thick canopy, she was riding blind. But she trusted Relam to keep her safe; she could see his thoughts as clearly as those of her people. The young animal had tired long ago of her father's heavy hand on his mouth and leather clad feet on his side. He had no more reason to return than she._

"We find cave after two day. Winter nearly here. We stop and prepare for cold"

He saw flashes of images, memories from her first winter. Alone and frightened, she had nearly died when the first snows fell.

"How old were you?"

"I count sixteen winters"

He rubbed his hand over his eyes again, he had a headache. Sixteen? God how had she survived?

"How long have you been here?"

She considered for a moment and he could feel her counting off the winters she had spent here in her little cave.

1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8.

"Jesus"

She had moved back towards the fireplace and quickly returned with a cup, handing it to him, silent for a moment, letting him grasp the things she had said. Finally she spoke.

"No feel bad for me. I free"

And he knew that she was, she went where she wanted and when she wanted. She was vulnerable to the elements, but she made her own rules. He wondered for a moment what it would be like to live with that sort of freedom, that sort of peace. No deadlines, no mission reports, no life and death struggle every time he stepped through the 'gate. She laughed quietly and he wondered what was funny.

"You tired" she said when her laughter subsided "sleep"

His eyes felt suddenly heavy and he realized that he was tired. He relaxed back on the furs and instantly let the blackness close in around him.


	6. Chapter 6

When he awoke the sun was high in the sky, the mid day rays slanting across the ledge warm and inviting. Lalia was nowhere to be seen, but the snow white stallion stood stoically outside the cave grazing on what little grass out of the stone. She couldn't have gone far, he sensed a link between her and the animal and somehow he knew that she never went far without him. He shifted slightly, his ass numb, the sunshine outside too inviting to resist. He glanced around him and found his pants lying nearby, dry and clean, had she anticipated his desire to go outside and left them within easy reach. Anything was possible. He struggled quickly into them, no easy task with only on hand, and then braced himself for the climb to his feet. He used the wall for leverage, and sweating and cursing managed to get himself into a standing position. His hand never left the wall as he hobbled outside, more tired when he arrived on the bright ledge than he had suspected. There was a comfortable looking stone on the other side of the ledge, only a few paces away, but without the wall to support him it was questionable if he would make it without falling flat on his face. He glanced at Relam; the animal had lifted his head and was eyeing him with suspicion. The stallion feared him. No, Jack was suddenly sure that he feared all men in general. Brutish men like Lalia's father had seen to that.

"I won't hurt ya." He said his voice low "Not that I'm in any condition to"

The animal's eyes seemed to study him, and he took a hesitant step closer. When he was close enough Jack ran his hand over his neck, patting it gently.

"See? I ain't so bad"

Relam looked at him, before taking a step forward, away from him. He turned his great white head and nickered gently, and Jack suddenly understood what he wanted. If Lalia trusted him then so would her companion.

He leaned his weight on the horses withers and took a hesitant step forward, using the great white shoulders for balance. In this way they slowly made their way over to that comfortable looking rock and Jack lowered himself gently on to it, exhausted. He patted Relam's muscular neck again.

"Thanks buddy"

The stallion snorted and moved back to his grazing.

Jack looked around him, taking in the ledge upon which he sat. It was long and wide and lit with bright spring sunshine. To the right of the cave entrance a well used path led down into the forest and to the right a similar path looped up, disappearing above the roof of the cave. He turned slightly and looked over the edge, he could see for miles. The forest stretched out below him, and in the distance he could see the river that had carried him so far from home and the lake where he hadn't even had the strength to pull himself out of the water.

The clatter of loose stone behind him made him aware of her return. He turned to see her appearing at the top of the path to the left of the cave and his breath caught in his throat. She was naked apart from a strip of soft looking leather which she had wrapped around her hips. She had obviously been bathing, her hair was still damp and curled slightly at her shoulders, and her skin was still glistening with wetness and steamed in the slight afternoon chill. The hint of her body beneath her clothes that he had seen the previous day was nothing compared to this. She moved quickly down the path, her toned legs sure on the loose stones, her hips were slim yet full and curved up to her slim, flat stomach. Her breasts were high and firm, and she was tanned, despite the fading winter. The sight of her with the sun glistening behind her was breath taking. She looked up suddenly and became aware of his eyes on her and she blushed deeply, the color spreading fetchingly from her cheeks, down her neck and across her ample breasts. He could feel his body responding to her and it wasn't until she gasped and blushed deeper that he realized that he was still staring, and that more importantly she could see what he was thinking. Now it was his turn to blush and he ripped his eyes away from as she hurriedly finished her decent and rushed inside the cave.

When she reappeared she had donned a pair of short leggings that reached to mid calf and a short sleeved tunic that laced up the front, leaving a thin slip of tanned stomach and her deep cleavage exposed. Now it was her turn to study him and he felt her eyes run over his broad chest which was bare in the sunlight, the sun had been so inviting he hadn't bothered to pull on his shirt before making his trip out of the cave. He thought he felt a hint of desire before she closed her thoughts to him, she was good at that, he could sense some of what she was thinking, but not all.

"I am sorry" she said as she sat next to him on the stone "I am not used to company"

She had made another leap in her language skills and apart from a strong accent her English was now good.

"No problem" he answered, but he still felt breathless and his body still stirred with desire.

"How did you get out here?"

Jack laughed and indicated to the horse that grazed some distance away.

"I had a little help"

She laughed and moved to caress the horse, running her hands gently of over his ears and neck.

'_Gracias mi amigo'_

He heard the words as if she had spoken out load but her lips hadn't moved. Watching her fondling the large stallion his mind suddenly made a connection he should have made before. He laughed suddenly.

"You're the witch that's been frightening the villagers"

He knew how tactless that sounded as soon as the words had left his mouth, but the look on her face was painful to see. Her disappointment and sadness was thick and it hit him hard. And suddenly he knew that once the snows melted, she had hoped that the village to the north would accept her. However much she valued her freedom, she was tired of being alone. Eight years was a long time.

"Is that what the call me?" her voice was sad as she rejoined him sitting on the stone. "I rarely go that far north. I have seen their men hunting sometimes in the forest but we always move in the darkest parts of the forest, remaining hidden, I thought they had not seen me. After all" she looked at him "you didn't"

So she had been watching them. It was obvious now that he thought about it, he had felt a presence in the darkness, felt someone watching them.

"No, but I knew you were there"

She nodded her head in acceptance.

"I had hoped they may have need of my services as a healer. They are good people, that much I sensed from the men I saw hunting, kind people. I had hoped to find a husband and settle into security, even if it meant giving up my freedom. But what man would want….."

Her voice trailed off but the word 'me' hung between them. 'What man would want me?' He reached out without thinking and grasped her chin, raising her eyes to meet his own.

"Any man who doesn't want you is insane"

Their eyes held for several seconds, their gazes locked, before he looked away embarrassed. Stupid old fool, he thought, this bright, young women so full of life wouldn't look twice at him.

She reached out hesitantly and with her finger traced one of the long scars on his back; he forgot now where it had come from. Her fingers left a trail of fire across his tanned skin and he felt his desire stirring again. Then he felt her mind searching in the darker recesses of his memory and grabbed her wrist, breaking their tantalizing contact.

"I said don't" he growled "You won't like what you see"

She stared at him for a second her eyes soft.

"You have a darkness in you that frightens me Jack, but you are a good man and time has healed you more than you think"


	7. Chapter 7

The following morning she helped him outside and he sat watching as she began to work with the hide of the deer she had brought back two days before. She had stretched it tightly across a crude wooden rack and he watched as she scraped away the hairs and membrane that clung to the inner side. As he sat enjoying the warming sunshine he found himself thinking for the second time, what it would be like to just give it all up and stay here with her. He felt himself at peace for the first time in as long as he could remember, and her way of life certainly appealed to an old solider like him. Her laughter brought him out of his thoughts and he looked at her quizzically.

"What?" he asked.

"You would grow bored. You have seen many wars, but your fight is not finished, you know that."

He sighed, as tempting as it was, she was right. Aside from that his team would certainly be looking for him. She laughed again.

"Where will they look?"

He looked out over the valley below them, again she was right; there must be more than ten thousand acres of deep forest between them and the Stargate. Where would SG1 even begin to look?

"Do not worry" she said, looking up "When you are well enough I will help you reach your Stargate"

"Why don't you come with me?"

She shook her head sadly.

"I think your elders would not be as understanding as you. They would put me in a cage"

She shuddered even though the sun was warming the ledge and he knew that that was what she feared most, this beautiful wild woman. He knew it was true, if the joint chiefs and the NID got a hold of her they would put her in a cage and throw away the key. But something deep inside him couldn't bear to leave her behind. He sighed and leant back on the flat stone, enjoying the sunshine, the days were getting warmer.

_________________________________________________

He must have dozed because when he finally opened his eyes, the sun was setting painting the sky beautiful colors. Lalia appeared from inside the cave, an old leather bag strung over her shoulder.

"Come. I have something to show you"

He took her hand and she helped him towards the sloping path that led upwards from the ledge. The path led to a large green meadow that finished at a sheer cliff face some two hundred meters away. As they drew closer to the imposing wall of rock, he could make out the sound of water and soon a medium sized pool came into view, constantly filled by a trickle of water bubbling from the rock face. The water steamed and he could tell that it was warm, it was a beautiful spot. Movement to his left drew his eyes and he watched as Lalia pulled her tunic over her head and dropped her leggings before slipping gracefully into the pool. The view of her firm behind as she dropped into the water was very provocative, but she had small idea of the effect her body had on him. She turned to look at him the water just covering her breasts and beckoned for him to join him. Without a thought he stripped of his t-shirt and pants, being careful to leave his boxers intact, his desire would be _too_ obvious without them.

"I was about due for a bath anyway" he quipped and enjoyed her smile.

The water was warmer than he had thought and he felt the tightness in his shoulder slip away as the ripples enveloped him. The weightlessness eased some of the pain in his broken limbs and he barely even felt the ache in his ribs. She swam away from him and dipped her head under the trickle of water that flowed from the cliff face, sighing as the warm water flowed over her face. He found that the far side of the pool was shallower and there was a rough ledge; warn away by thousands of years of flowing water, that he could sit on. He leaned back against the edge of the pool feeling the water lap around his chest, and watched as the stars began to rise. As always he recognized some of the constellation from home but some were different. His gaze was drawn as Lalia joined him on the ledge, and he had to fight to keep his eyes from looking down at her naked body engulfed in water as it was. She sat next to him and like him looked up at the stars. He started to point out the constellation he knew, telling her the names one by one.

It was late when she finally reached for the bag she had left discarded at the side of pool. From inside she drew two lengths of soft absorbent leather; she stepped from the water and wrapped one around her body before turning and helping him out and handing him the other. He was powerless to rip his eyes away as she dried herself, rubbing the supple material over her tanned, firm body. He dried himself quickly and pulled on his pants, hoping it would do something to hide his obvious arousal. She blushed so he guessed it didn't. He could feel her confusion over his reaction to her, she could feel it but she didn't understand it. He remembered that she had lived alone for a long time and had probably had little or no experience with men before she had been run out of her village. His money was on none.


	8. Chapter 8

He had fallen into an exhausted sleep on returning to the cave the night before, but for the first time since his arrival here, he had woken before her in the morning. He felt better, stronger, in the morning light and found it easy to lift his battered body to its feet.

He stirred the fire, reawakening the flames, and fed a few dry logs into it watching as it burst into life. He quickly found the container she used to make tea and filled it with water from a sealed animal stomach. The water boiled quickly and he searched though her stock of herbs, not recognizing any of them. He finally found chamomile simply by smell, his Grandmother had always drank chamomile tea when he had been a boy and the smell had stuck with him all these years. He threw some of it into the boiling water, watching as the water changed color slightly, the taste and smell seeping out of the dried herbs.

He poured some of the mixture into a cup and moved to throw back the drapes that hung over the mouth of the cave. She stirred slightly as cool morning light slanted through the entrance, but only mumbled something unintelligible and rolled over throwing her arms across her eyes, blocking out the sun.

"Time to get up" Jack said shaking her shoulder slightly and handing her the cup of tea.

She smiled up at him, her eyes still filled with sleep and her hair mussed up and he thought that she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.

"Thank you" she said accepting the tea from him.

She drank it down quickly and then stretching like a cat leapt to her feet with surprising grace. She set about making a pain killing tea for him and even showed him which herbs she used, naming them for him as she threw them into the boiling water.

He took the tea gratefully, his earlier energy fading slightly.

"You do too much" she said reproachfully "But you are getting stronger, I think in a few days we will be able to make the journey to the Stargate"

"How far is it?"

She considered for a second, working out the distances.

"Me and Relam have traveled that distance in as little as a day. But for us I think it will take three days. We will have to move slowly and now that the weather is warmer we will have to be careful of hunting parties from the south."

This worried him, from the snaps of images he had captured from her, he had little desire to meet any hunting parties from the south. His pistol and rifle had been lost in the river and he knew they would be vulnerable in the forest.

"Do not worry. I know the deeper parts of the forest, where the hunters do not go. We will be safe"

She looked sure, but the feeling didn't reach her eyes and Jack realized that she was more hopeful than sure.

_________________________________________________________

The days passed quickly and as his strength returned he began to help her with everything he could. He owed her that much. She hunted and then showed him how to butcher the meat, how to prepare the hide for leather or for furs and how to use the parts of the animal he would have been inclined to throw away, but the large stomach and long intestines of the deer she hunted were as useful as the meat or leather. She also took him up to the higher meadow most days and schooled him on his riding technique. It had been years since he had sat on a horse's back and he was out of practice, that coupled with his broken limbs and ribs made the going tough and left his body sore and tired.

Nightly trips to the spring at the far end of meadow soothed his aching muscles, but did nothing to cool his lust for her. She remained confused by his feelings, but as he became more attuned to her thoughts, he could sense that she was similarly lusting over him and this only served to confuse her even more.

He began to dread the day that they would set out for the Stargate. He was less and less inclined to leave her here alone and return to his life of deadlines and mission reports. Deep down he knew that she had been right when she had said that he would grow bored, eventually, he was sure of it. But he longed to be able to give it all up and stay with her. She longed for it too. In the short time they had spent together she had grown accustomed to his presence and she was terrified of finding herself alone once again.

As the day they had set for leaving drew closer she spent more and more time away from the cave, leaving with Relam early in the morning and returning late at night. He had continued climbing up to the meadow every night, but without her. He sorely missed her presence and couldn't help feeling guilty, it was his fault that she withdrawn inside herself, his fault that he now felt mostly sadness when she was near.

The night before they were due to leave, he waited late for her to return, putting off his climb to the meadow until she arrived. She looked tired when she arrived, she had been gone since dawn.

"Come on" he said reaching for her hand.

She took his hand and followed him blindly to the spring, stripping off her clothes without thinking and slipping into the water without seeing. He shed his own clothes and joined her in the water reaching out for her as he joined her under the trickle that flowed from the stone. He turned her to face away from him and used his good hand to massage the tenseness out of her shoulders. She groaned slightly and he felt the knots in her back loosening.

When he was done she turned to face him and he became all too aware of her naked body almost pressed against his own. The moon lit her face and the stars reflected in the green depths of her eyes, glistening in the tears that had pooled on her lower lids.

"I will miss you Jack"

She looked so beautiful with her wet hair swept back away from her face, her eyes sad and her lips parted slightly as she fought against a sob. His body kicked in and his mind was helpless to resist. He slipped his arm around her bare waist, pulling her to him and bending his head he captured her lips with own. She tensed for a moment, her whole body going rigid in confusion, but her lips parted slightly allowing his tongue entrance, and as the shock wore off she kissed him back.

They were both breathless when he finally pulled away from her, looking deeply into her eyes.

"Come with me" he whispered.

"Jack. I cannot"

Images of cages filled his head and he felt her fear run through him like an electric shock.

"I'll think of something I promise"

He was sure he could pull a few favors, work something out. She smiled at that, and slowly nodded her head.

He took her hand and they began their decent to the cave. She banked the fire for the night and then shyly came and lay down with him in what once been her sleeping place. She rested her head against his chest and he wrapped his arms around her. She reached up and kissed him hesitantly, it was a sweet kiss and there was none of the passion of the one they had shared in the spring but somehow it meant more.

"Sleep" he whispered his hand running through her hair "We've got a long day tomorrow"


	9. Chapter 9

They both woke early, the first red rays of sunrise filtering into the cave. He watched silently as she packed what supplies she thought they would need for the trip and looked sadly around her cave for one last time, before tying the drapes in place and weighing the ends down with rocks It was unlikely that they would ever come back here, but she didn't want any animals disturbing the neat tidiness of the possessions that she couldn't take with her.

He watched, impressed as she leapt onto the stallions back with a long practiced movement. He used the stone he had sat on that first morning he had ventured outside and swung his leg stiffly over the animals back settling his weight behind her and wrapping his arms around her waist for balance. It was an unconscious gesture, but their full body contact was tantalizing and with every step they took down the path into the forest her firm behind moved against him in the most provocative way.

They moved quickly at first, the thinner trees on the steep slopes making their progress easier, but soon they were entering the deeper parts of the forest and the trees closed in around them. The early morning sun struggled to make its way through the thick canopy over head and here and there, eerie rays lanced down lighting the forest floor.

They traveled through the day, not stopping and hoping to make good time, but late in the afternoon she pulled Relam to a stop and turned to look at him.

"We will soon be entering the hunting grounds of the men from the south. It would be better to sleep some now and continue after night has fallen. It is less likely that we will be seen in the darkness"

For the first time he felt the danger they were in. She was frightened, her face white and her eyes darting into the tree at every sound. He nodded his acceptance and watched as she slid quietly to the ground before turning and helping him.

They ate cold meat, the prospect of a fire to dangerous to contemplate and then slept in shifts until night fell. Once the moon had risen they mounted again and continued silently through the forest.

They made good time through the night, Relam's hooves were fast and sure and Lalia trusted him completely to guide them through the darkness. It wasn't until a little before dawn that they heard shouts in the darkness and saw the first shadows of people. She urged their mount into a gallop and Jack prayed that the animal could see well enough in the dark not to run them over a cliff. This thought was only half formed when he felt Relam's head dip followed by the sensation of flying through the air.

He landed heavily, pain shooting through his chest and the air whistling from his lungs. As he struggled for breath he looked around, Relam was struggling to his feet and Jack could make out a thin rope strung low between the two trees through which they had passed. It looked like the hunters had been expecting them or some other animal to pass this way and had set a trap. Relam had tripped and thrown both him and Lalia some distance. He searched for her and found her laying a little way off to his right, she still hadn't moved. He crawled to her, checking her pulse, she was still alive, but a stream of blood trickled from her temple. She moaned as he touched her and her eyes open slightly. She looked relieved when she saw him, and her eyes slipped past him to Relam who had limped closer to them, and he felt her relax slightly.

The shouts were coming closer and he could now make out the light from burning torches as the men approached.

"Come on Lalia. Time to go"

He struggled to his knees, gasping as pain shot through his broken leg. He helped her to sit; they needed to get out of here and quickly. But Lalia was still dazed, her body unresponsive and Jack felt his strength draining as he struggled to get to his feet.

Men were appearing through the trees, each bearing a cruel looking spear and a torch. They were shouting and their excitement was obvious. Suddenly Relam was between them and the approaching hunting party, rearing, his forelegs striking out at the first man that drew near enough. There was a dull thud and the man fell to the ground like a stone, blood pouring from a deep half moon shaped cut on his forehead. His hair was quickly matted with blood and his head looked a funny shape, crushed. The approaching men stopped, unsure how to proceed, the enormous white stallion had killed to protect his mistress.

More men were approaching from behind and Jack heard a strange whooshing sound and felt something whizz pass his head. Lalia started to scream and he looked up to see the shaft of a spear, still quivering, embedded deeply in the stallion's snow white neck. Blood poured from the wound, painting his coat red. Lalia screamed louder as the animal staggered and fell.

"No!" he felt his own cry leave his lips and watched in horror as Lalia crawled to her fallen companion, holding his head in her lap as his breath faltered.

She continued to scream and the sound rung in his ears even as he felt a heavy blow to the back of his head and the world descended into blackness.


	10. Chapter 10

His head was thundering, small noises seemingly louder in the dim light. He hoped Lalia would bring him some of that tea that always dulled the pain. He opened his eyes slowly.

Memories came flooding into his head. The approaching men in the darkness just before dawn, Lalia screaming, her clothes soaked in Relam's blood. He looked around in the darkness hoping to find her, but she wasn't with him. He sat up slowly, wincing at the pain that shot through his body. The ribs that had been healing well had been badly shaken up by the fall.

His military brain kicked in and he surveyed his surroundings. The room was small and dark and the door looked pretty solid, there were no windows and the only light that filtered in was from a small crack at the bottom of the door. Even without his broken limbs he would be pretty hard pressed to get out of here.

'Lalia?'

He called to her with his mind; he had become accustomed to doing so when he didn't know where she was. There was no answer, either she was too far away to respond or she couldn't.

He settled back against the wall, sighing. There was nothing to do but wait.

________________________________________________________

Several hours' later two men entered the room, each bearing a spear and pointing it at him. A small boy inched into the room behind them and set a jug of water and a hunk of stale bread at his feet. Jack looked up at the men with spears.

"Where's my friend?"

The men looked at each.

"¿Que?" one of them answered and Jack remembered the Spanish style language Lalia had spoken when they had first met. These were after all her people.

"¿Donde esta mi amiga?"

"Vamos a quemarla, después de que se confiesa"

Jack shuddered, a forced confession followed by a burning, sounded like the Salem witch trials. The two men laughed and left him to contemplate their words in the darkness.

He buried his face in his hands; he had no idea how to get them out of this. Sure he had gotten out of worst situations before, but he had always had SG1 to back him up when he needed them. The village lay closer to the Stargate than Lalia's cave and it was possible that Carter, Teal'c and Daniel had already looked here. In fact he was almost sure that this was the first place they had looked, before beginning to comb the forest.

"Check again guys" he muttered to himself.

__________________________________________________________

The thin sliver of light had moved across the room to the far wall and was beginning to take on a red tinge, announcing sunset, when the two men with spears returned. One of them shoved his spear under Jack's throat, the metal point pricking his skin, while the other pulled him roughly to his feet and bound his hands tightly behind his back. They muscled him roughly from the small room and half dragged him to what appeared to be the center of the village, little more than a rough square between the buildings. A crowd had gathered and as it parted slowly he saw Lalia. She hung limply, her arms tied to a thick upright wooden pole above her head. Her face was pinched with pain and he noticed, even at this distance, a dark bruising on her cheek. The wound on her temple had stopped bleeding but her hair was matted with blood and her forehead rested against the post, her eyes half closed. He struggled against the two brutish guards that held him, trying to reach her, but they held him fast.

Three grim faced men appeared from a large building on the other side of the cleared area and came to stand in front of her. One of them grabbed her chin and lifted her head, his eyes cold, his face bore a strong resemblance to hers and Jack realized that it was her father.

"Confiesa Bruja!"

Her eyes hardened and she stared at the tall man, her lips closed tightly. The older man shook his head and motion to the younger man that stood to his left. The man slipped a knife from his belt and moved behind Lalia, slipping the sharp blade inside the neck of her tunic. He jerked downwards with one swift movement and the soft leather split like butter, leaving her tanned back exposed. The third grim face man stepped forward and handed a cruel looking leather whip to the younger man, nodding for him to continue.

Jack watched in horror as the whip descended for the first time on her back, leaving a trail of blood behind it. He lifted his arm again and the crowd began to cheer. Jack struggled against his guards, his own cries lost amongst the shouts of the villagers.

Ten bloody welts had appeared across her tanned skin when the younger man lowered his arm. Lalia's father waited for the crowd to quiet before her looked into his daughter's face for the second time.

"Confiesa Bruja!"

'I'm here' Jack thought, not knowing if she would hear him.

Her head turned slightly and she looked at him, smiling weakly. She turned back to her father, her eyes remaining hard and her lips remaining closed. He indicated again to the younger man.

Later Jack would think how it was funny that the first words most people learnt in any language were the curses, but that was what he shouted now, wracking his brain for the worst curses he had learnt in Spanish. The younger man hesitated and looked his way, his arm held above his head, frozen for a moment. His stream of curses was cut short by a heavy fist plowing into his stomach, knocking the air from his lungs. He fell to his knees and looked up to find one of his guards sneering down at him.

Ten lashes more finally brought the screams from her lips and Jack winced as each was cut short by the following lash of the whip. He turned his face away, but one of the brutish men that guarded him grabbed his hair and turned his face, forcing him to watch as they whipped her again and again.

Her knees had given way and she hung limply, her face slumped on her slumped on her shoulder, when her father for the third time told her to confess.

"Confieso"

Her words, barely more than a whisper, had hardly left her lips when Jack heard the sound of distant gun shots. He could have cried when the crowd began to scatter and he saw SG1 followed by SG4 running into the village center. His guards had run with the rest of the crowd, fearing the shots that sounded in the air, leaving him kneeling in the dirt his head bowed.

Daniel was beside him in a second, untying the tight knots that held his hands. As the blood started to flow back into his broken arm he felt his hold on consciousness beginning to slip.

"Help her" he ordered, motioning towards Lalia before the blackness over took him.


	11. Chapter 11

Jack was relieved to find himself relatively without pain when his consciousness returned. He opened his eyes slowly wincing at the bright over head lights of the infirmary.

"Welcome back Colonel" Janet's voice was like music to his ears.

He groaned as she shone an even brighter light into his eyes.

"How long was I out?" he asked groggily.

"How long were you missing? Or how long were you unconscious?"

"Either. Both"

"It took SG-1, 4 and 8 nine days to find you. And you've been unconscious for a little over twelve hours, more from exhaustion than anything else you'll be happy to know. Your left arm and leg are broken as well as three ribs on your left side. But whoever set the bones did a good job and your well on your way to making a full recovery"

He sat up slowly, ignoring the pain that flared and looked around the unusually comforting surroundings of the infirmary. Nine days? It had seemed like both less and more. His time with Lalia has passed quickly but he felt he had known her a life time. He glanced at the other empty beds.

"Where's Lalia?"

Janet frowned. "The women that the rescue team brought back with them?"

He nodded.

"Her situation is a little more complicated that yours. Apart from the lesions on her back she too was suffering from a few broken ribs and one of them had punctured her lung. We almost lost her in the gate room. We had to operate and her situation is still critical, the next few hours will tell."

He buried his face in his hands and reached out with his mind to find hers, she was there but he could feel how weak she was.

"Can I see her?"

"I'd rather you rest a little first Colonel. General Hammond will be here soon to get a verbal report"

Jack nodded, normally he would have argued but he felt drained and tired, and he needed to figure out how much General Hammond needed to know about Lalia.

___________________________________________________

He was re-running through everything that had happened when the Daniel, Carter and Teal'c arrived in the infirmary.

"How ya feeling?" Daniel asked casually.

Jack groaned "I've been better. Thanks for coming to get me guys. I'm surprised it took you nine days before you checked the village"

"Actually sir that was the first place we checked" Carter said.

"Then how come you came back?"

All three looked uncomfortable and Daniel reddened slightly before finally answering.

"We all had the strangest feeling that we should check again and I even had the weirdest sensation that you were telling me to go back"

"Me too sir"

"I too had this feeling"

His mind jumped back to the words he had muttered to himself in the darkness.

"_Check again guys"_

"Ah" he said now, looking at each one of his team mates in turn.

Daniel frowned. "You don't think that's a little weird Jack?"

"Weird yes Danny boy, but I can't say I'm surprised"

Carter opened her mouth to speak but cut short her words as Hammond entered the room.

"Colonel I'd like to hear your verbal report, if you're feeling up to it"

Jack nodded and looked at the four people who the closest thing he had to a family, hoping they would understand what he was about to ask of them. He had decided to tell them the whole story now and get everything out in the open, hoping that they could come up with a solution that didn't involve the NID getting their hands on Lalia.

"First I need you all to promise me that what I'm going to tell you doesn't leave this room. You'll get the full unedited version now but I'm not sure my final report will tell exactly the same story"

Hammond opened his mouth to protest, but Jack held up his hand.

"Please General this is important, you'll understand when I'm finished"

Hammond nodded as did Daniel, Carter and Teal'c. Jack relaxed slightly back on the pillows that were propping him up and launched into his story, telling every detail from waking up in the cave, Lalia's amazing gift and his apparently, to their journey through the forest. The only detail he skipped over was their nightly dips in the hot spring and what had happened there on their last night in the cave. The memory was still to raw and he had to fight to control the surging mix of fear for her and anger over not being able to help her.

When he had finished he looked at each of them hoping to gage their response. All four stood silently looking at him as if he had lost his mind.

"Well?" he asked.

"Well uh…….. Janet check you for head trauma right?"

He shot Daniel his worst glare and the younger man reddened slightly.

"_Jack?"_

The voice in his mind was faint and his concentration so centered on the people in front of him that at first he didn't hear it.

"_Jack?!"_

He could feel her alarm, her fear and quickly sat up.

"Help me up will ya"

"Colonel, Dr Frasier has ordered you to rest"

"I need to see Lalia" he said swinging his legs over the side of the bed and groaning at the pain that throbbed in his body.

Both Daniel and Teal'c were at his side in an instant steadying him as he hobbled to his feet.

"Jack I really think you should be resting"

He shrugged off the younger mans restraining arm and hobbled slowly towards the room where the intensive care patients were normally tucked away.

"She's awake, and she's frightened"

"How……?"

Jack glanced over his shoulder at them as they stood in open eyed wonder.

"Haven't you been listening Daniel?"


	12. Chapter 12

The intensive care unit was darker than the rest of the infirmary and he paused in the doorway for a moment letting his eyes adjust to the dimness. He was aware that Hammond, Carter, Daniel and Teal'c had followed him and were now gathered just behind him, waiting as he hobbled towards her.

Her eyes were open, but the tube in her throat stopped her from speaking. Her normally tanned skin was as white as the sheets on which she was laid and he had an idea of just how close he had come to losing her.

He reached out and took her hand in his own running his fingers over her palm.

"_Jack"_

He could feel her relax slightly, her eyes running over his face and her fingers entwined in his own.

"_I'm here. Everything's gunna be fine."_

"_What happened?"_

"_It doesn't matter. You're safe now. I promise"_

Janet appeared at his side checking the monitors that beeped at her bedside. Lalia's eyes widened slightly and her fingers tensed in his hand.

"_She's a doctor. She's here to help"_

Janet looked at him.

"Everything seems to be okay. I think she's out of the woods, but she really should get some rest"

He lifted his hand to her face and brushed a lock of hair out of her eyes, pausing for a moment to brush her cheek.

"_Sleep. I'll be here when you wake up"_

He raised her fingers to his mouth and brushed his lips across the back of her hand, watching as her eyes grew heavy and she drifted into sleep.

He turned to ask Janet to bring him a chair to sit in, he had told Lalia he would be there when she woke up and he meant to be, but stopped, almost laughing out loud at the faces of the five people who stood behind him.

Janet was the first to recover, ordering him back to his bed. He shook his head, pulling a chair up to her bedside.

"I promised her I'd be here when she woke up"

Janet shrugged and left the room, giving him orders to call her if they needed anything. The rest of them moved into the room, studying him, and still looking at him as if he had lost his mind.

"Sir, how did you know she was awake?" Carter asked.

He sighed "I already told you that"

"Colonel, do you really expect me to believe that you and this woman can talk to each other telepathically? That you can hear each other's thoughts?"

Jack looked at his commanding officer before smiling slightly.

"After all the weird things we've seen and done the last couple of years, is it really that shocking. I can even hear what you guys are thinking…. sort of. Don't worry I won't hold it against you."

"What?" Daniel finally asked.

"That all three of you think I'm crazy"

"Three?"

"Teal'c believes me, don't you buddy?"

Teal'c inclined his head, smiling slightly. "That is correct"

Cater spluttered slightly. "How….. Okay what number am I thinking of?"

"One million, twenty three thousand, six hundred and forty four….. three……four. Make up your mind!"

He smiled at her before looking over at Daniel a sly grin on his face.

"Oh and Daniel….. That red head you took out to dinner last night……. Nice"

He laughed at the look on both Daniel and Carter's faces but sobered slightly as Hammond glared at him. He knew what he was thinking.

"No General I don't think I'm telepathic, I don't get anything from Frasier or from the nurses, not anything more than a vague sense, only from you guys."

"That's weird" Cater said.

He shrugged "Not really. You guys are the closest thing I've got to a family and I knew what you were all thinking half the time anyway, it's just clearer now, a lot clearer, and a little disturbing." He glanced at her "Especially you…. _Way_ too many thoughts in that little head of yours"

She blushed.

Hammond cleared his throat and they looked at him.

"Colonel I am obligated to report all of this to the NID"

"General. I promised her……."

Hammond held up his hand to stop him.

"But due to the current critical situation of both your health and hers, I won't be able to get your report for a couple of weeks. I hope you'll be well enough to submit your report by the 14th"

He nodded to each of them and left the infirmary. Jack sighed in relief and looked at each of his team mates.

"Two weeks. Guys you gotta help me out on this one, I can't let the NID get their hands on her, they'll rip her apart. She saved my life I owe her for that much at least"

"We'll do what we can sir"

"Thanks guys"

All three turned to leave and Jack turned his attention back to Lalia, he recaptured her fingers in his hand and again raised it to his lips. He winced slightly at the coldness in her fingers and shuddered at how close he had come to losing her.

A noise from the doorway drew his attention. Daniel had paused there before leaving and was studying him intently, his fingers frozen on the door handle. Jack blushed slightly and released Lalia's hand, letting it fall back onto the bed.

"You're in love with her aren't you?"

"I……" his voice cracked so he just nodded.

Daniel nodded slowly and silently pushed open the door.

"We'll figure something out Jack"

As the door swung closed Jack thought about what his friend had said. Now that he had admitted it he didn't know how he could have missed it before. His reluctance to leave the planet, the peace he had felt there, had been _nothing_ to do with the way she lived, and _everything_ to do with her.


	13. Chapter 13

Daniel made his way slowly back to office, his mind working over all he had just heard and what he had just seen when the others had left the infirmary. Jack's feelings had been obvious to him even if they hadn't been to the man himself. He had never seen the hardened military Colonel show so much tenderness and sensibility in one small gesture. But the look in his eyes as he looked down at the woman in the bed had made the depth of his feelings all too clear.

Slumping into the chair behind his desk he shook his head sadly. This was one of the many things about the military that he still couldn't get his head around. This woman had saved Jack's life and risked her own to get him home. She deserved a medal, and yet the NID would dissect her like a lab rat to try and find out what made her tick. On a more basic level, Jack had worked harder than the rest of them over the years, risking his life more than once, and even dying a couple of times in their fight against the Goau'ld. Through sheer luck and his own brand of hard headedness had saved the planet more times than Daniel cared to remember. He deserved happiness more than anyone Daniel had ever known.

He glanced at the mess of paper work scattered across his desk. On the top of the pile were the photos he had taken of the ruins in the village just before Jack had gone missing. He reached for them, flicking through the pages without really looking at them. There was an answer to this problem, he was sure of it; it was just that he was missing something. He was over looking something important.

__________________________________________________________

Janet appeared some hours later to remove the tube from Lalia's throat, explaining that she seemed to breathing fine on her own now. Jack looked up at her from his chair, his eyes heavy and his body staring to protest from being sat too long.

"Go and get some rest Colonel. You're in no condition for an all nighter. She'll be fine"

He shook his head slowly, feeling groggy from the pain killers Janet had forced down him an hour or so ago.

"I promised her I'd be here when she woke up"

Janet smiled kindly and nodded.

"You know Colonel these ICU beds are pretty wide"

She raised her eyebrows significantly at him. It took him a few moments to catch onto her hint and he turned to glance at the bed beside him.

"As a doctor I will obviously advise against you disturbing my patient. As a friend I'll tell you that you need to get some rest, just be careful of the IV" she smiled and reached up to close the curtains around the bed.

Jack groaned as he stiffly climbed to his feet and slid carefully onto the bed next to Lalia, wrapping his arms around her as best as he could. She mumbled something in her sleep and turned her face towards him. He brushed his lips against hers and she smiled slightly, relaxing in his embrace. He quickly realized just how tired he actually was and soon felt his eyes growing heavy and sliding closed.

________________________________________________________________

"_Jack"_

He groaned as sleep began to drift away.

"I'm here" he muttered groggily.

"_Wake up Jack"_

He felt her lips suddenly drifting lightly over his and groaned deeply in his throat. He returned the kiss, gently at first, sliding his tongue slowly into her mouth, and then more passionately as she responded in kind, her tongue wrapping around his own.

"Feeling better?" he asked breathlessly.

She answered by kissing him again, deeper still, and he had to pull away as he felt an all too familiar tightening in his pants. He ran his fingers through her hair and looked deeply into her eyes.

"Neither of us is in any condition to continue with this. And" he made a vague gesture to the room around them "This isn't the most romantic setting"

He felt her playfulness bridle slightly and her mind darkened with unfocused ideas and images. Jack smiled at her, she really only had a vague idea of what was to come. His smile broadened, he was going to enjoy enlightening her. His head was instantly alive with thoughts and images of his hands running over her supple body, of her screaming beneath him…… She blushed deeply, but he could feel her underlying curiosity and excitement. He recaptured her lips briefly and banished all thoughts from him mind. When the time came he wanted her discover everything she had been missing the last eight years. He frowned; he only hoped he got a chance to.

"Your friends will think of something" she whispered quietly. Her words more confident than the thoughts running through her mind.

"Rest some more" He said, kissing her gently.

________________________________________________________

Daniel made his way slowly to the commissary. He had been looking through those photos for hours, doing his best to translate the worn runes. He was sure the answer was there, and that he was still missing some vital piece of information. He was pouring himself a large cup of coffee when Sam joined him, also grabbing a unhealthy dose of the black drink. As they sat, silently nursing their coffee's Teal'c joined them.

"So anyone had any luck?" Sam asked.

Daniel shook his head and took another gulp from his mug.

"There's a solution to this, I'm sure of it. But I still can't figure out what it is."

"Me either"

"Daniel Jackson, I fail to understand why General Hammond is obliged to inform your government about Lalia's presence here"

Sam shook her head sadly "That's just the way it is Teal'c"

"Should she not be rewarded, not punished, for her bravery and commitment to Jack O'Neill?"

"Yeah she should Teal'c but the military doesn't work that way. They're desperate for something that'll help us defeat the Goau'ld" Daniel answered.

Sam sipped her coffee, thoughtful for a moment.

"What do you guys think is going on with the Colonel and that girl? I've never seen him behave that way"

"Undoubtedly O'Neill has found a partner worthy of his attention. She is a courageous and very beautiful young woman. In willingly leaving all that she knows to return here with him, she has shown a loyalty for O'Neill which is commendable"

"What do you think Daniel" she asked turning her gaze to him.

He shrugged and sipped at his coffee to hide his smile.

"Daniel……. you know something. Don't you?"

"Maybe"

Sam studied him for a moment, her eyes narrowing slightly.

"You don't think……"

Daniel shrugged again.

"Oh my god. He is, isn't he? He's in love with her"

He rubbed his hand over his tired eyes.

"Yeah, I think he is. I gotta get back to work, I'm almost there I'm sure of it"

"Get some rest Daniel"

He nodded absently as he made his way out of the commissary still clutching his mug of coffee.


	14. Chapter 14

Daniel groaned as his eyes flickered open. When Sam had told him to get some rest he was sure she hadn't meant slumped over his desk. He sat up slowly, stretching his stiff back and snatching at the photo that had stuck itself to his cheek. He stared at it; it was one of the worst photos he had taken, showing an almost smooth section of the ruins, only a few symbols were actually discernable. There was a larger symbol in the center of the rock face, fuzzy and distant from the wear of time, but somehow familiar. He pulled up the digital version of the photo on his computer and zoomed in on that symbol, sharpening the focus as much as he could. With his eyes still fixed to the computer screen he grabbed the text he was using to help with translation, knocking his mug of cold coffee onto the floor. He didn't even hear the crash as he flicked through the page, finding the symbols translation.

Sam appeared in the doorway of his office, glancing briefly at the smashed mug on the floor.

"Daniel what………..?"

"That's it" he exclaimed excitedly "It's not much, but just maybe…….."

"Daniel what……….?"

He jumped up, the hard copy of the photo in his hand "Get Teal'c and meet me in the infirmary"

_________________________________________________________

Jack jerked awake, despite of how well he had slept on the planet with Lalia he was normally a light sleeper and the slightest noise had him alert in seconds. He cracked his eyes open to find Teal'c stood next to the bed.

"O'Neill"

"Hey T. What's going on?"

"Daniel Jackson believes he may have found a solution to the current problem"

"Great. Where is he? Tell him to get down here"

"Both Daniel Jackson and Samantha Carter are waiting outside. It seems they find your current..position.. somewhat disconcerting" The large man glanced at the sleeping woman laid beside him on the bed.

"Oh for crying out loud! Guys get your asses in her!"

He sat up slowly, hoping not to disturb Lalia, but she stirred anyway, her eyes opening slowly.

"Jack?"

"Hey. Daniel thinks he's found something"

She smiled slightly and struggled to sit up, her smile fading somewhat. Before Jack could help her, Teal'c reached forward with strong arms and helped her to sit up, propping a pillow behind her back. Jack frowned slightly; it was unlike Teal'c to show such gentleness.

Lalia smiled. "Your friend approves of me"

Teal'c inclined his head slightly and Jack felt himself relax, she was right.

"Thanks T"

"I am pleased for you O'Neill"

An excited looking Daniel appeared behind Teal'c, closely followed by Carter. Daniel was clutching a photo in his hand, and looked about ready to burst.

Jack settled himself on the bed next to Lalia.

"So?"

"Okay. It may not be much, but it's a start. I was going back over the photos I took of the ruins on Lalia's planet, and although most of the symbols have rubbed off over time, one was readable."

He handed the photo to Jack and watched as he ran his fingers of the almost indiscernible symbol.

"Freya?" Jack asked.

Daniel's eyes widened "How do you……?"

Jack rolled his eyes "I don't but you do"

"Okay. So this is the symbol for the Nordic goddess Freya. She was supposed to be the goddess of love and was fabled to possess an amulet which gave 'power of mind'" He indicated to Lalia "Legend also says that she and Thor were great friends, maybe even lovers. There's even a funny story about Thor dressing up as a women to save Freya from marrying a giant. It's a long shot, but maybe the Asgard can help us out"

"Great. So get the OK from Hammond and let's put a call in to our little grey friends. Good work guys"


	15. Chapter 15

After a week in the infirmary Frasier released them both with strict instructions to take it easy. Lalia had been assigned one of the many guest rooms the base had to offer, but Jack took her back to his own room. He had gotten used to sleeping next to her and wasn't inclined to stop now, especially as with each day that passed without contact from the Asgard he became more and more worried that at the end of the two weeks the NID would take her away. Hammond had also 'suggested' that he should get some of his unfinished paperwork done while he was unfit for active duty. So he would be spending the next week shut up in his office and would be unable to spend a lot of time her. He wasn't about to give up the nights spent with her in his arms.

He worried slightly about leaving her alone for so long during the day, but the rest of SG1 had rallied and had offered to spend time with her while he couldn't. Teal'c had even offered to bring down his TV and DVD and show her how to use it. Hammond had given him a strict 'no' when he had broached the idea of taking her outside to show her some of Earth, so he had asked Daniel to bring in some documentaries so that she could at least see some of the planet, even if it was only on the TV screen.

He was touched that his team mates were showing such affection for Lalia, they were really making an effort to make her feel welcome. Jack knew that Daniel had blabbed about his feelings for her, but that didn't make their efforts any less heartwarming.

He lay on the bed next to her on their first night out of the infirmary and kissed her fiercely, holding her as tightly as he could.

"You don't think the Asgard will come to help you?" she asked.

He shook his head "No, I'm sure they'll come, they always do. I just don't know if they'll get here in time"

"I still don't understand how they will be able to help"

"I'm not sure that they will, but it's the only thing we've got. The Asgard are a very technologically advance people who used the Gods from Earth's Nordic legends to communicate with us. Daniel is guessing that because there are signs of Asgard involvement on your planet, then maybe they have something to do with your, our, ability"

He rested his forehead against hers and sighed, enjoying having her body pressed against his. He was glad that they were finally alone.

"Lalia, if this doesn't come out as planned I won't let the NID take you away. We're gunna have to get you off this planet pretty quickly and I don't know if I'll be able to come with you. I'll try, but when the time comes, you might need to someone here to watch your back."

She stroked his hair and kissed him gently.

"Everything will be okay Jack"

He looked deeply into her eyes and took her face in his hands.

"But if it doesn't, I want you to know" he paused, his voice cracking slightly with emotion "I want you to know that I love you"

She laughed lightly and clasped his hand between her own.

"Jack, I have know _that_ for some time"

He laughed too.

"I love you too Jack"

"I know" he laughed, truly happy for the first time in as long as he could remember.


	16. Chapter 16

The following week passed too quickly and with no word from the Asgard Jack found himself outside of Hammond's office on the morning of the 14th. He rapped his knuckles on the door and waited for permission to enter.

He sat down in the chair opposite Hammond and waited for his superior officer to speak. The older man looked at him for a few moments, before pushing a copy of his report towards him.

"I'm sorry Colonel; I sent a copy of this report to the NID a few moments ago"

Jack nodded and rubbed his hands over his face.

"Jack…. Son…… I'm sorry, but with no word from the Asgard my hands are tied. Two NID agents will be here tomorrow morning to review the situation"

"To take her away and lock her up you mean. Come on General, she saved my life and they're gunna throw away the key!"

He stood up and hobbled towards the door.

"I won't let them have her General. She deserves better!"

He slammed the door behind him slumping against the wall outside. He buried his face in his hands as his knees gave way and he slipped slowly to the floor. A silent sob escape his throat before he realized that Daniel was stood a few feet away looking down at him.

"Okay so what's the plan?"

He whipped his fingers quickly across his eyes and looked up at the younger man.

"What?"

"You're gunna want to get her off world before those NID agents arrive tomorrow"

Jack smiled and accepted the hand that Daniel offered him, helping him to stand.

"Get Carter and Teal'c, I'll be in my quarters with Lalia"

He clapped his friend on the back and walked away, turning as he reached the end of the corridor.

"Thanks Daniel"

"No problem"

_________________________________________________________

Lalia was sitting closed legged on the bed in his quarters when he slipped quietly through the door. She was dressed in pair of shorts Carter had leant her, apparently they wore the same size, and one of his old academy t-shirts. Her hair waved loosely down her back and he paused for a second in the door way to take in the sight of her. She seemed to be concentrating hard on something, and it took him a few second to realize what it was. The TV remote was floating in the air a few inches from her face.

"Whatcha doin?" he asked quietly.

Her concentration broke and the remote fell onto the bed between her crossed legs. She lifted her eyes to his and he could feel her confusion mixing with his own.

"I uh….. I don't know. I was looking for this" She held the remote up to him "to watch one of the films Teal'c brought me and….." her voice trailed off and she shrugged slightly.

He sat down on the bed next to her and took the remote from her, turning it over in his hands.

"Can you do it again?" he asked holding the object up to her.

She fixed her gaze on the remote in his hands and concentrated, after a few seconds he felt it lifting out of his fingers. It spun around a few times in the air and then came to rest lightly on the bed between them. Her eyes met with his for a few seconds before a quiet cough from the door way drew their attention.

They both looked up, startled, to find Daniel, Carter and Teal'c stood in the doorway.

"I didn't know she could……" Daniel spluttered.

Jack shook his "Neither did we"

His three team mates entered the room and Teal'c shut the door behind them. Lalia looked at each of them in turn, and he could feel her fear growing, she knew why they were here.

"Don't worry" he said, pulling her into his arms "We're gunna get you out of here"

"How?"

"Sir, I think I have an idea"

"I'm all ears Carter"

"If she can do that" she waved her hand vaguely at the TV remote "with something larger or from a distance it could be the key to dialing out"

Jack smiled "Carter you're a genius!"

_______________________________________________________

The spent the rest of revising their plan. Lalia practiced with various objects and they soon discovered that with a lot of concentration she could move some substantially sized objects. It left her tired and drained but Jack hoped she would be able to do what was needed.

They had decided that the following morning would be the ideal time to execute their plan, while Hammond was distracted with the newly arrived NID agents. Carter had been planning to update the dialing computer for months and this would serve as a good distraction for Siler and the other control room staff. And while all three were willing to help them get to the gate room, Jack was adamant that Carter be as little involved as possible. He wasn't going to let her ruin her career for him.

"Thanks guys" he said for what felt like the hundredth time as they one by one they said goodnight and left him alone with Lalia.

He sighed and sat down heavily on the bed, his right hand rubbing absently at his broken ribs, which had started to ache some hours ago. Lalia looked exhausted and her face was pinched with pain. He reached for the bottle of pain killers and handed one to her along with a glass of water, before dry swallowing one himself. He lay back on the bed and pulled her into his arms, burying his face in her hair.

"I hope this comes off as planned" he whispered.

She looked up at him suddenly, her eyes gazing into his.

"It will" she answered, then, looking thoughtful, added "And even if it doesn't, it was worth the risk. I wouldn't change these short weeks I have spent with you, for years of life free and alone"

"I know. I just wish things hadn't turned out this way"

"Me too"

_____________________________________________________

An insistent knocking on the door woke them the following morning, it was Daniel.

"The NID agents have arrived and are heading to Hammond's office. Sam's on her way down to the control room to start the update. We need to go. Now"

They dressed quickly and moved silently through the corridors towards the gate room. Teal'c met them at the door with a large pack filled with supplies. Jack could have kicked himself, he had forgotten about taking anything with them, they were still a little unclear on what they intended to do when they got off world. Thankfully Teal'c hadn't forgotten.

He looked at his two teammates "You don't have to go through with this"

Daniel smiled at him "Come on Jack, you know we wouldn't have it any other way"

"I'm gunna miss you Space Monkey"

He hugged his friend quickly and grasped Teal'c's arm before turning to Lalia.

"You need to close the blast doors and manually dial the gate as quickly as possible. We'll secure the other doors, but it won't take them long to work out what's going on and find a way in"

She nodded; her nervousness obvious, even to Daniel and Teal'c. She hugged each of them quickly, thanking them for their kindness before turning with Jack towards the entrance to the gate.

Jack looked up at the control room as the burst through the door, but Carter wasn't sat at the terminal as he had expected, instead were black suited NID agents stood with Hammond.

Hammond had the microphone in his hand. Jack guessed it hadn't taken any telepathy to guess that they would try and get Lalia off world.

"Stand down Colonel"

"Get the blast door down" he shouted at Lalia.

She hesitated for a second and then lifted her hands and with a shudder the blast doors began to close.

"Colonel!"

Even as the door crashed closed the gate began to spin and he looked to see that Lalia had turned her attention to the gate. The great rings spun quickly the first two chevron locking before an armed security team burst into the room, the weapons trained on Lalia.

The Stargate kept turning and the third chevron locked in place but her attention seemed to be divided. She raised one hand towards the security team, her eyes never leaving the gate. There were a few cries of surprise and Jack glanced up in time to see a dozen rifles rise into the air just beyond reach and hang there.

The two stern looking NID agents appeared behind the armed team and one of them turned his attention to Jack.

"Stop her Colonel, or we will be forced to open fire"

He indicated to another security team that had appeared in the other door way and then to the first team that had recovered enough to replace their rifles with their service pistols.

"Do you think she can stop them all?" he asked, a slight smirk on his slimy face.

Jack sighed and let the pack with supplies fall to the ground between his feet.

"Lalia stop"

But her concentration was so fixed on the gate and maintaining the a dozen rifles floating in the air that she didn't seem to hear him. The fourth chevron locked.

"Colonel…."

"_Lalia stop. Lalia!"_

Her mind was distant and he knew that she wasn't listening. He moved towards her, distantly aware of the sound of rifles preparing to fire.

"Colonel O'Neill! I'm warning you. Stop this NOW!"

He reached her the same moment heard two shots ring out. He felt a burning pain in his shoulder and saw how Lalia's body jerked. Her attention broken she turned her eyes to him, surprise evident on her face as she fell into his arms.

"I'm sorry Jack" she whispered as they fell onto the ramp together.


	17. Chapter 17

It wasn't the cold metal grate of the ramp onto which they fell, but the smooth, slightly warm floor of an Asgard ship. In all the commotion he hadn't noticed the brilliant white light which had bathed them as Lalia's weight and the heavy cast on his leg disrupted his balance sending them tumbling onto the ramp. He glanced up at Thor who was stood a few meters away.

"'bout time you turned up"

Thor looked at him thoughtfully, studying the woman in his arms.

"Come O'Neill. I will heal your wounds and those of your companion, and then you must rest. We will talk later"

____________________________________________________________

Jack stretched slowly; it felt like heaven to be without the heavy casts for the first time in weeks. He tested the flexibility in both his arm and leg and suspected that they may just be stronger than before. He smiled down at Lalia who still slept at his side and rose slowly, going in search of Thor.

He made his way to the main control room of the ship, striding over to the large windows which showed the green, blue mass of earth far below, before turning to look at Thor.

"Great timing, as always, little buddy"

Thor inclined his head slightly.

"Your wounds were caused by the weapons of your own people"

Jack nodded "Some of them"

"Your companion is intriguing; my scans show that she possesses a mental ability above that which is normal for your race. Your own mind too has evolved since the last time we spoke."

"And that, is _exactly_ what I wanted to talk to you about"

"Indeed?"

He leaned back slightly, resting his back against the enormous windows and began to retell everything that had happened over the last few weeks. Thor listened silently, his large black eyes blinking occasionally. When he had finished the small alien simply nodded and began to tap away at the central control, images began to appear on the screen, few of which Jack understood.

"Freya was fascinated by the emotion which you call love and carried out various experiments many hundreds of years ago with the humans on the planet of which you speak"

"Ah you guys and your genetic tinkering"

"Every human mind has the capacity for the abilities of which you speak, some more than others. Freya began to work on unlocking these powers, believing that the connection of two minds, powered by strong emotions, such as love, could be the next step in finding the salvation of our race. But the people of this planet feared the gifts which Freya had given them and began to exterminate the few that possessed such power. It is probable that Lalia's ancestors were of the few to receive Freya's gift, how they survived I cannot say. In time Freya abandoned the experiment, thinking the human race to still be too primitive and warlike to continue with this line of investigation."

"So where do I come into all of this?"

"When we first met I suspected that your mind was capable of more than you allowed"

"Doesn't everyone"

"Your contact with Lalia has served to unlock your latent power"

"Why can she hear everybody's thoughts while I could only see what Daniel, Carter, Teal'c and Hammond were thinking?"

"Your mind has only just begun to comprehend its new strength, it is reasonable to assume that you are easier connected with those who are closest to you. In time your abilities will grow and become more powerful that even those of your companion"

"The NID are gunna love that!"

"Indeed it seems you have a dilemma. She cannot exist in your world any more than you in hers and yet it is vital that you are not separated"

"Why?"

"Apart from your obvious feelings of love towards this woman, your mind is now connected to hers and I do not know what the consequences would be if you were separated for any length of time"

"And you think we might be the missing link to your little problem"

Thor nodded, "This also is true"

Jack turned and looked out the window again, study the planet below. Ten years ago, he never would have believed that he would be standing here now, in love with a woman who was technically an extraterrestrial. Earth had had to make some leaps of faith in the last few years; from thinking they were alone in the universe to planning colonies on other planets.

He almost heard the penny drop. Smiling he turned to Thor.

"I've got an idea and I'm gunna need your help in talking some people round"


	18. Chapter 18

Hammond had spent most of the day trying to placate two very agitated NID agents. It was an understatement to say that they were less than pleased. Now both sat on the other side of the desk in his office, waiting for an explanation for his 2IC's behavior. He hadn't been surprised when Jack had attempted to get the young woman through the Stargate, the circumstances around the attempt had surprised him somewhat, but he couldn't say he was unhappy with the way it had turned out. The Asgard had a funny habit of turning up just at the last moment, and this time they had arrived none too soon.

"Gentlemen….."

"General? General can you hear me?"

Both men jumped out of their seats when Jack appeared next to them in the office, each reaching for their service pistol.

Jack grinned, holding up his hands in front of him. "Just a hologram guy, calm down"

Hammond could have laughed as both agents scowled and relaxed back into their seats.

"Colonel, to what do we owe the honor"

"I've got someone here who wants to have a little chat with you guys"

A hologram of Thor appeared next to Jack and extended his greeting to Hammond, pointedly ignoring the two agents who starred in awe at the little grey alien.

"Hammond, O'Neill informs me that you government is planning to begin colonizing other planets."

"That is correct Thor. Jack himself was offered the leadership position on the first colony, a position which he refused several months ago"

"I believe the current situation has caused O'Neill to change his plans and he now wishes to accept the position offered to him by you government."

One of the agents opened his mouth to speak.

"Wait, there's more" Jack smirked.

"The importance of O'Neill remaining in contact with the woman known as Lalia may be vital to the continuation of my race; as such the Asgard would offer their continuing protection of Earth along with the protection of any Earth colony, in exchange for O'Neill's position as leader on the first colony and the freedom of the woman Lalia"

"Colonel will be charged with insubordination and the woman will be studied to further our war against the Guao'ld" answered one of the agents.

"That is unfortunate. If Earth's government is unwilling to participate in the possible protection of the Asgard race, we may have to withdraw any current or future protection offered to Earth."

Hammond could see Jack's smile getting wider as Thor spoke and knew it wouldn't take many phone calls to sort this mess out. Jack knew it too and the man looked almost too damn smug, the two NID agents were positively seething.

"Thor, please allow me to convey your offer directly to the president. I'm sure he will be only too happy to accept"

"Very well Hammond. My ship will remain in orbit until I have received your answer"

"Catch ya later guys" Jack grinned, waving comically at the two agents as the image fuzzed and faded.

Hammond turned to look at the men sat opposite him.

"Please excuse me gentlemen, I have a very important call to make. I don't think your services will now be required"

Hammond smiled to himself as they left, Jack had scraped through by the skin of his teeth, yet again and he had to admit that he was pleased.


	19. Chapter 19

Jack smiled at Thor as he ended the transmission.

"You are welcome to use the quarters where your companion is still resting until we receive an answer from your government"

"Thanks buddy"

He made his way slowly back to the room he had left Lalia in, feeling pleased with himself. He was sure that the president would accept Thor's offer. How could he decline? And he now felt that he could relax and begin to enjoy his life with Lalia. He flexed his recently broken arm experimentally.

"Speaking of which" he muttered to himself grinning as he enter the room.

Lalia was still sleeping, the effort of their 'escape' leaving her exhausted. Her hair fanned out around her face and her arm was thrown over her eyes. He moved slowly over to the bed so as not to wake her and lay down gently next to her.

He ran his fingers gently from her wrist, over her elbow and down her side, leaning in to kiss her lips, half hidden by her arm, as he did so. She groaned as squirmed slightly under his touch.

"Wake up sleepy head"

"Jack?" she murmured.

"Shhh, everything's fine"

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Jack smiled sleepily, looking down at the sleeping woman in his arms and running his hands through her silky hair. They had spent the day and most of the night exploring each other's bodies, before they both fell into a sated sleep in the early hours of the morning.

He had taken time to explain his plan to Lalia and she seemed content with the fact that Hammond would do everything he could to make it possible. She seemed pleased with the idea, and though she hadn't shown it he knew that she had not liked the claustrophobic atmosphere of the mountain. He sighed to himself, the events of the last few weeks had forced his hand, but he had to admit that he was tired of fighting and the idea of leading Earth's first colony appealed to him, and with this beautiful woman at his side it appealed even more.

He slid slowly from the bed, leaving Lalia to sleep and heading towards the control room. The must have been some word from Hammond by now.

"O'Neill" Thor greeted him, bowing his head slightly.

"Hasn't Hammond been in contact yet?"

"Indeed, he contacted me several hours ago. You, however, were otherwise engaged"

"Ah"

"General Hammond asked that you 'call him back' when you were not so otherwise engaged"

Jack grimaced, wondering how the General had reacted to _that_ little piece of information.

"I believe he seemed pleased for you."

"Really?"

The small alien nodded, and Jack knew that the Asgard couldn't smile, but he could have sworn he saw the trace of a smirk cross Thor's lips. But he hardly had time to react as Thor tapped away at a few buttons and the image of General Hammond appeared before him.

"Sir"

"Colonel, good to see you are finally _unoccupied_"

The smirk that he had thought had passed across Thor's face was finally planted on Hammond's.

"Sir" he didn't trust himself to say any more than that.

"Jack, the president has agreed to you proposition, and gladly accepts the protection offered by the Asgard. He asks that you return to Earth to help in choosing both civilian and military personnel that will make up the colony. Lalia will be given amnesty and has the presidents that word that the NID won't be able to lay a finger on her…."

"Great"

"…… He does however want Dr Frasier to document her abilities, a task which will be taken up by the medical staff assigned to the colony, once they have been chosen. That is the only condition which you and she must agree to"

Jack considered for a second, he thought he could speak for them both. He nodded.

"Okay, but I want final say in choosing the medical staff and I want Lalia to meet all of them before we leave for the colony. She's gunna be working with them and I want her to feel comfortable"

Hammond nodded "We had anticipated that and files on all of the available staff will be available when you both return to Earth, we have also arranged for each of them to be interviewed by Lalia and yourself before the final decision is made"

Jack frowned, this all seemed too easy.

"What's the catch?"

Hammond sighed "Thor informs me that both Lalia and your own abilities are growing and that even he had no idea what you are both capable of. It is likely that the President will want the medical staff to documents your progress as well as Lalia's. I convinced him that you would have enough on your plate with the setup of the colony but it is my belief that he's still keeping it in mind and although he's content to wait until the colony is organized I'm sure he'll get round to asking. For now he's making concessions to keep you happy."

Jack thought, the information from Hammond running through his mind.

"Okay, I'll cross that bridge when I come to it. For now tell the President that we agree to his terms. We'll return to Earth as soon as possible."

Hammond just smiled and nodded before ending the transmission.

He glanced at Thor.

"I believe that you have no intention of letting your own abilities be studied"

"Like I said I'll cross that bridge when I come to it, for now the only thing that matters is that Lalia is safe"

Thor nodded "Would you like me to transport you back to Earth now?"

"No let her sleep, we're gunna have a busy time when we get back. I'll let you know when were ready"


End file.
